Drought in Tulare Cty Foothills, California

The California drought continues in full force during the month of February, 2016. Fresno received 0.33 inch of rainfall while Bakersfield only received 0.18 inch of precipitation during the month. The low amounts of precipitation and above normal temperatures we received this month did allow some snow melt to occur. This did improve the water storage situation slightly, however soil moisture did decrease across the San Joaquin Valley due to the lack of rainfall.

The U.S. Drought Monitor continued to report exceptional drought conditions across the entire Central California region. This extent of exceptional drought is extremely unusual for California. The general trend of below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures has continued this year.

There continues to be significant media coverage on the on-going drought conditions. These reports include discussion of significant re-allocation of water resources from the east to west side of the San Joaquin Valley, farmers forgoing planting of some crops, loss or reduction of ground water, wells drying up in several communities leaving them with no water, and an unprecedented increase in fire danger across the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains. Also, communities in Central California interior face state mandated reductions in municipal water use.